Indy
by CarpeDiemEveryday
Summary: Independence: the ability to thrive without the aid of others. But just because you can doesn't mean it isn't a lonely road.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Oh, let's face it, it's not as if disclaiming will actually change anything. But yeah I don't own the concept of Pokemon. I will be annoyed if plot ideas are filched, though. Anyways, enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Indy<strong>

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><p>Darkness. Forest. Branches whipping across my face. Scratches. Pain. Running. Running. Slowing down... Cloud. Light. Light. Light...<p>

The light remained, blazing down through what I realized were my closed eyelids. I cracked them open, and immediately shut them tight against the burning white light. My neck muscles tensed up, and pain shot through my body. A moan escaped my lips.

Footsteps now. A light weight was removed from my forehead, and what felt like a damp washcloth replaced it. A hand rested, gently yet firmly, on my upper arm. "Try and lie still," said a light, feminine voice near my head. "If you are feeling nauseous, relaxing will be the best way to relieve that." I heard something heavy and metallic scraping across the floor somewhere below me. "However, if you must be ill, aim towards the left side of your bed, please."

I lay still as I was told, but I was far from relaxed. Something was nagging at the back of my mind. I _knew_ that voice, I was sure of it. I was equally sure that there was something connected to that voice that would get me in a heap of trouble, but my stomach rolled, and I decided to focus on keeping its contents from spilling out. As I clenched my jaw, I noticed that the brightness against my closed eyes was no longer blindingly painful. Cautiously, I opened my eyes a fraction.

I was lying on my back, facing a white tiled ceiling. I glanced to my right and saw two metal beds, empty and sterile-looking. Gulping, I began to slowly turn my face to the left, and found my worst nightmare. She was seated between my cot and a counter full of medical supplies, wielding a clipboard. Her pink hair sat perfectly curled under her hat. She was Nurse Joy, and I clearly had gone to hell.

Horrified, I tried to sit up, but sank almost immediately back down, head spinning. Concern flitted across her face, and she scooted her office chair closer to my bed. "You may be experiencing side effects," she murmured, almost more to herself than to me. She removed the cloth and felt my forehead, frowning. I lay there, petrified. What was she going to do? She was going to kill me. The room had to stop swirling soon. I had to get out of there.

Nurse Joy replaced the cloth. "Well, the good news is, your head isn't burning up. People who run fevers in this sort of situation generally need intensive care. You should be fine soon."

She got up, dusted off her white apron, and walked over to the counter. I closed my eyes, willing my body to get its act together and let me escape the hell that I had probably brought down upon myself. To my relief, the nausea dwindled, and I was able to lever myself up into a sitting position. My head still felt strangely light, but the fact that I wasn't retching plus a strange, tingling new pain in the back of my neck sent that into the back of my mind.

Hearing my bedsheets rustling, Nurse Joy turned around, beaming. "Well, look at that! You're looking better already. You should be fine, if you're able to sit up now. I've already administered the proper antidote while you were still unconscious. You should stay in bed for at least another hour, though. Now, is there anything that still aches?"

I swallowed, and cleared my throat. "Um... My neck, it's weird, there's a tingling thing in the back and it sort of hurts, but that's not important!" I was suddenly shouting, but I didn't care, I was terrified that this seemingly charming woman would flip back to evil again. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you, and I didn't mean to, but please, I'm so sorry!"

"What do you mean?" Nurse Joy asked, turning pale. "Oh dear, if you're hallucinating again, this could be quite bad, I should get you-"

"No!" I screamed, horrified and unsure why. "You, you kicked me out of the Center earlier, you told me if you ever saw my face there again, I'd have it punched in, I, I..." I came to a halt, seeing the look of genuine confusion on the nurse's face. I blinked. "You... I... I'm in Viridian City, right?"

Nurse Joy shook her head, pink ringlets swinging across her face. "Oh, no," she said, a look of understanding crossing her face. "No, this is Pewter City."

I felt my jaw drop. "But, but, I, you, I..."

She smiled, and sat down again. "All Nurse Joys do look the same, you know. We're all sisters and cousins. I do realize it can be confusing." She giggled. "It makes for interesting family reunions, for the married ones, at least."

I was tempted to slap my palm into my forehead, but considering my condition, I settled for lightly thumping the bed with my fist. "I am such an idiot!" I moaned. "I... Wow. I am so sorry for, um, for that outburst. I just..." I flushed, and a nervous chuckle escaped me. "Your Viridian cousin is, uh, very, um-"

"Terrifyingly bipolar?" the nurse suggested, grinning. "She isn't quite that, you know, but she gets both ends of the spectrum in her Center. You know, the new trainers who don't know what to do with a paralyzed Pidgey, and then the pushy older types who get all hot and bothered because the Gym isn't open or service is slow due to the newer group. She's got a short fuse to begin with, too, but she does her best to put on a professional face. Don't feel too bad, she won't remember you."

I blinked. "How can you be sure?" I blurted out. I felt silly, but at the same time, a nurse who looked just like the one sitting across from me had gone from calm to foaming at the mouth in about three seconds.

"Well, for one thing, people pass through there all the time. You're likely just another face in the crowd for her." She hesitated, staring at me... No, not at me, exactly. She was staring specifically at my head. She gulped, looking nervous for some reason. "And, well, the other thing is, well... She probably wouldn't recognize you, not with your, um, your hair..." she trailed off, looking helpless.

"What about my hair?" Already, I was running my fingers through it. Or rather, running my fingers through a tiny bit of it, at which point my hand hit the air. "Whuh?"

Nurse Joy passed me a mirror out of her pocket. "It's quite a story," she said as I gazed with wide eyes into the mirror. "How you got that way, I mean."

My hair was short and uneven, not even falling about my face, but instead sitting raggedly on top of my head. It was not girly hair. It was a mess, like a two year old had been handed scissors while I was out of my head. I was stunned, and that was just the front of my head. I didn't want to see the back. "Who did this?" My voice was calmer than I had expected, but, then again, it was still only hair. My ears, for instance, seemed to be intact. Hair grew back... eventually.

This, for some reason, sent the nurse into a fit of barely suppressed giggles. "Heehee, um, ah, well, you did!"

I blinked, raising my eyebrows. Turning the mirror from side to side, I saw that the sides of my head had even more uneven strands, standing out as much as ten inches from my head. "So... You said there was a story involved?"

"Ye-es..." Nurse Joy replied, "but first, let's get that hair cleaned up."

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><p>I sat in the office chair, a sheet wrapped around my body. Behind me, Nurse Joy wielded a small pair of scissors as she did her best to even out my self-administered haircut. "Now, don't worry yourself about a thing, I used to cut my brother's hair all the time," she said, snipping off an eight-inch lock that had missed my attack. "Besides, if I can give a skittish jolteon a grooming, I'm sure I can finish a half-done haircut."<p>

"How do you even do that?"

"Rubber scissors. Now sit still, please, and try not to talk; it'll help me give you a more even trim. Then we can talk about how you got here."

I chuckled a bit at the idea of rubber scissors, then did as she said. There was a brief pause, almost as if the nurse was about to say something, but then she selected a new strand of hair and began to cut again. For a few minutes, there was only the sound of Nurse Joy's scissors snipping about my head. Trying not to move, I watched the clumps of dark brown hair tumble down the sheet and onto the floor. Suddenly, the rhythmic sounds of snipping halted, and the nurse cleared her throat.

"What's wrong?" I demanded automatically, resisting the urge to dash for a mirror.

"Oh, not a thing," she replied, but her voice was slightly tensed. "It's just... The way you cut your hair, well, there's not going to be much left. I was just wondering if there's a certain style you want me to try for here."

"Could I see the mirror?" Working a hand out from the bedsheet's folds, I accepted the mirror she handed me and held it up to my face. It was apparent that my options were to be scanty at best; my hair had been cut _very_ short in places. Still, I had given the situation some thought, and in reality, it was actually quite practical.

I handed her the mirror. "Just trim it like you'd cut your brother's hair. It'll be nice and out of the way."

"Are you sure?" Nurse Joy sounded a bit alarmed, yet relieved at the same time. "Just that it won't be particularly feminine looking. At all, I mean."

"That's not a problem with me."

"Alright then..."

Fifteen minutes later, the haircut was done, and I admired the results in the mirror. It was impressive how much of a weight was off of my shoulders without a braid reaching halfway down my back. It would be easier and cheaper to clean, it required no styling, and it would stay out of my eyes. I looked over the mirror at Nurse Joy, who stood waiting anxiously for my verdict. "Color me more than satisfied!" I said, grinning.

Nurse Joy smiled widely. "It does suit you, this short hair. Not that your braid wasn't pretty, but this... It's interesting."

I giggled, then grimaced as a wave of tingly pain shot out from my neck. The nurse was there in an instant, pulling a yellow bottle and a cotton swab out of apron pockets. She dabbed some of whatever was in there on my neck. It stung what must have been a scratch, but the tingling stopped.

"What is that stuff?" I asked, shivering as stray drops rolled down my back.

"Antidote, but that's less important right now." I looked up, startled by a sudden seriousness in the nurse's voice. She walked to stand in front of me, and the intensity of her stare made me shrink back. "You've been awake for over half an hour, and yet the only person you've shown any concern for is yourself." She began pacing, the yellow bottle still clenched in her hand. "I thought it might have been mild amnesia, that is a known side effect, but something this prominent would have surely come back to you by now. You certainly remembered your _hair_, so you certainly ought to remember them too.

"But what I can't believe is, why haven't you said anything about them?" She whipped about suddenly to face me, and for a moment I believed she was the Viridian Joy. The bottle had been thrust into her apron pocket, and now her hands were balled into fists. Her blue eyes were icy, and I gulped, bewildered.

"I don't-"

_"Where are your pokemon?"_

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><p><strong>Reviews of all kinds are appreciated. What do you think?<strong>

**Cheers, **

**Carp  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

"I - I don't-"

"You don't even know?" Nurse Joy was shaking with anger, choking out her words through gritted teeth. Arms akimbo, she glared at me unblinkingly, eyes iced over with fury. I felt cornered in the office chair, but resisted the urge to flee, aware that there was hardly any place for me to run. I tried to speak, to say something in my defense, but my voice was frozen in fear.

"I cannot believe what I am hearing," she went on, waving her arms about her head and stalking from side to side. "Y'know, I really thought you were better than that, you seemed so pleasant, so terrified, so innocent. But no! You're just a self-centered brat who can't be concerned with what's happened to her pokemon. Who knows what's happened to them? I certainly don't know, but you never even asked about them, and I refuse to stand for it!"

Suddenly, her hands shot out, grabbing me by the shoulders. Her nails dug into my upper arms, and her face was mere inches from my own. "What. Happened. To. Them?" she asked, enunciating clearly, voice soft and dangerous.

I gulped, trying to melt the ice that had my voice locked away. "I-I d-don't h-h-have an-n-n-y..." I mumbled through shaking lips.

She stared at me. "You can't be serious. You're in your mid-teens, you have pokemon, so don't even bother with that weak little lie. Now, you tell me what you've done with them, right now. Were they stolen? Or did you just lose them? You can't just leave them out in the wild! Especially if they're in their balls, how would you feel if you were trapped in them for who knows how long, until someone happens to find you, hmm? How would that make you feel?"

I felt tears running down my face. "But, I really d-don't have any!" I was sobbing, aware that we both seemed to be losing it. The sweet and gentle nurse had been transformed into something out of my nightmares, and I was literally in her clutches. Still, I had to try to explain. "I n-never d-d-did, and I-I d-don't now, and I d-d-don't have any pokemon! P-p-please, you have to b-believe me!"

Her eyes flickered over my face, trying to find some hint of lies. But I could already see the frost melting away. Her hands loosened from my arms, and she stepped away, staring at the floor and fingering her pink ringlets in apparent embarrassment.

After a few moments, in which I wiped away my tears, she looked up, face flushed. "I... I made a mistake. I just..." She shook her head, as if she was trying to clear her head. "I can't stand the idea of trainers who put themselves before their pokemon. It's awful, y'know, and you see it so often with the newer trainers, where it's all about them. Brock tells me so many stories about kids who'll just shout at their pokemon if they lose, it's just..." She trailed off, and mutely held out a hand to me, an apparent gesture of apology. I accepted the hand and stood, tipping the sheet and the extra hair to the floor.

"Oops, um, let me help you with tha-" I began, already scanning the room for a broom, but Nurse Joy cut me off.

"No, no, you sit back down, you're still recovering. I'll go get a dustpan." She guided me back to the cot, then left the room. Taking advantage of her absence, I looked down at myself, rubbing my arms and trying to assess my situation. She hadn't punctured my skin, but Nurse Joy's nails had left angry red crescent-shaped marks on my upper arms. I sighed. That whole situation could have gone much better, but I didn't blame her for what she had done. Besides, the marks were already fading, so I turned my attention to my general state.

I still was wearing the cargo pants and tank top I had left home in, and I had seen my boots near the foot of my bed, but all my other possessions were elsewhere. I rolled on my side, checking to see whether they had been left on the right side of my bed, or at the foot of the one next to me. They hadn't. I bit my lip. Had they been lost? I patted my pockets, and to my relief found my wallet. I flipped through it, some of the tension easing as I found my ID, map, and money were all still in place. I could still manage with only that. I could still go home, stock up on supplies, and set out again, although that prospect was less than thrilling.

Just then, Nurse Joy returned, carrying a broom and dustpan. Behind her, a chansey waddled in, hefting my backpack. To my relief, I saw that my jacket was tucked between the top of the pack and the pokemon's small chin. The chansey chirped what sounded like a question to Nurse Joy, who smiled. "You can leave that near this young lady, if you would be so kind."

The chansey glanced around the room, saw me, then blinked in confusion. It turned its head away from me, so I couldn't see the look on its face. Nurse Joy bit her lip, and nodded. The chansey stiffened and spun about to face me. Though I wasn't quite sure, I thought I saw a look of embarrassment cross the pokemon's face as it dropped my pack next to my bed, then waddled out quickly.

I frowned, puzzled, running over that silent conversation between the two, and then it clicked. The poor thing must have initially thought I was a boy. I sighed, realizing that this was likely to be a common reaction. At least, I reasoned, it had been an extremely polite pokemon who first thought I was a boy. I would be ready now for humans to make that mistake, and would hopefully remember not be too bothered by it, and definitely not to act offended. That would be silly, since it was basically my own fault that I looked this way now.

The nurse, meanwhile, had finished sweeping up the hairs from the tiled floor. Tipping them into a waste basket, she turned to me, smiling shyly, apparently still abashed. "I just want to say again how so-"

I held up a hand, cutting her off. "It's fine, really. It was a reasonable assumption, and you had every right to be angry. You're a pokemon nurse, after all; if you weren't concerned about their welfare, _I'd_ be the one concerned about _your_ attitude towards them."

A look of relief flashed across Nurse Joy's face; it was apparent that she had been ready for me to be furious. "Alright then, so, ah, oh, I know, how about I tell you how you got here?"

I nodded, eager to change the subject and more than a little curious. "Sounds like a plan; you did say this was a good story, right?"

She chuckled. "Oh, yes, it's quite amusing. Well, you know, it was a quiet day, not many trainers needed assistance. Now, who should come staggering in, but you. You'd got twigs and leaves sticking out of your braid like they were coat hangers, and you were shaking a bit, staggering here and there, y'know, and immediately I wondered, what happened, what's wrong with this girl, and if she's like that, what condition are her pokemon in?"

She paused here, shaking her head. "But see, you made it up to the counter, blinked a little bit, and then, just stared at me and said, 'Do you have any scissors?' Perfectly calm, cool, and collected, y'know? I told you I did and handed you a decent pair, figuring there was something caught on you that you had to fix, and then..." She looked at me, still shaking her head a bit.

"Well, y'know, it was just very sudden. You started shouting and screaming about how there was an ekans and it had got you by the head, so you grabbed your braid and started hacking it off! Well, I knew at once that you must be hallucinating, and I didn't want you to injure yourself, plus, if it was poison, which it turned out to be, getting your blood pumping is not what you would want to have happen, y'know? But, see, you were really going at it with some sharp scissors, sort of a danger to yourself and others, y'know. Luckily, Brock ran in at that point, and together, we managed to get the scissors out of your hands. Unfortunately, you'd already gotten your braid cut off by then. You had it in your hand, and stared at it, and said, 'It's not an ekans... Oh.' And that's about where you fainted, and we got you settled in here and gave you a shot of antidote. And here you are."

I stared. "That's... That's pretty insane. I don't remember any of that!"

She nodded. "That can happen sometimes, with these poisons. They cause different reactions in humans than in pokemon, and usually they aren't lethal, but they'll still drain you and can cause some damage. You might remember it later on, but don't count on it necessarily."

"Why was Brock there? Isn't he the gym leader here at Pewter?"

"Oh, yes, well, he said that he was out on a walk, and found you lying stunned on the grass just outside the city limits on the Viridian Forest side of town. He and his geodude were carrying you here and had nearly gotten you to the doors when you apparently came to, panicked, struggled out of their carrying, and ran in. He was watching to see if you needed help, but apparently you were very panicky."

"Aha, okay. Hm..." I was trying to think back, to trace how I got from Viridian to Pewter. Before I could figure that one out, another important question flickered in my mind. "How long have I been out?"

The nurse checked her watch. "You were only unconscious for about forty minutes, give or take. Like I said, these poisons generally aren't fatal, but they can really agitate your system, y'know?" She paused for a moment, then asked, "How did you get poisoned, by the way?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I remember getting kicked out of the Viridian Center in the evening -" Here, I glanced at the nurse, who smiled, amused. "- and then... I set out for Viridian Forest, yeah, and I wanted to get to some point where I could stay the night, camp or something, and I guess maybe I thought that I could sleep under a tree?"

I bit my lip, wondering why I had been so exceptionally stupid. "I really don't know where my head was there, I must have still been upset with the Viridian nurse, but, yeah, I was doing dumb stuff, I guess. I remember going into the forest, but not much of anything between there and now. There were a lot of trees, I guess." I chuckled a bit self-consciously, but I honestly could not remember what had happened. A new question occurred to me. "Is it still Tuesday?"

"No, it's Wednesday, late morning, actually."

I frowned. "And Brock, he only found me a couple hours ago?"

"Yes, during his morning walk."

"Hmm..." I wondered what had happened that night. Perhaps I had made camp in the forest, and then run into trouble in the morning? I might never know, so I pushed it to the back of my mind. After all, I had made it here mostly intact.

"So, I suppose I should ask..." Nurse Joy trailed off, looking unsure.

"You want to know what I'm doing out here without any pokemon?" Seeing from her face that I was correct, I reached down to open a compartment on my backpack, pulling my jacket onto my lap as I did so. I pulled out a folded photograph and handed it to the nurse. "That's my family, in front of our house in Viridian. In back are my parents, and then on either side of me are my brothers. The one on the left is Mike, he's about twelve now, and then on the right, the redhead, that's Chris. He's just starting his..."

I froze, horrified. "Chris, I forgot about Chris! He's just starting his journey. If he sees me here, he's going to be so angry, saying that I'm stealing his glory, aw dangit, no..."

I trailed off and stared at my hands folded in my lap, trying to figure out a sequence of events. "Okay, so if he left yesterday morning from Viridian, he would have gone into the forest. If he hasn't made it here -" I glanced up at Nurse Joy, who shook her head. "- okay, so then he probably did training work on the outskirts, then stayed at the Viridian Center last night, so that would mean that he would go all the way through the forest today..."

I looked up at Nurse Joy, feeling helpless. "Is there any way I could just stay here until he's past? I don't want to impose, and I know that I'm not a trainer, and that's what upset your cousin in Viridian, but if Chris sees me he'll just get angry and frustrated, and I don't really want to steal his thunder or anything, and, and-"

Nurse Joy held up a hand to stop me. "It's perfectly understandable. I rather wanted you to stay here until I can ascertain that you're entirely better in any case, so that should be fine, yes."

I sighed with relief. "Thank you so, so much, ma'am-"

"Ma'am?" Nurse Joy sounded aghast. "I'll have you know I am still quite young, thank you_, missy_! And, y'know, you haven't even told me _your_ name yet!"

I started; I had completely forgotten to introduce myself. "I'm sorry, Nurse Joy -"

"And none of this 'Nurse' business all the time, y'know? It just gets kind of grating, so, please, feel free to call me Joy. Just Joy."

"Okay, um, Joy, I do apologize, I was just trying to be polite, I suppose, and, um, I was always taught that you need to be respectful of, um, of nurses..." As I spoke, I fished around in my pocket, pulling out my wallet and slipping my ID card out of its plastic sheath. "So, yeah, anyway, my name is Anna. Anna Rogers." I held the card out to her, in case she needed proof.

Joy waved my ID away. "That's all fine and good, but are you going to tell me why you aren't a trainer, Anna? I mean..." She trailed off for a moment, biting her lip as she thought. "It's not as if it being a trainer is right for everyone, but, well, I guess you have to admit that it's very unusual to see someone who never even gave it a shot."

I shrugged, mentally preparing what I had told so many other people before. "Working with pokemon doesn't appeal to me," I began, staring at my hands as I spoke. "I mean, my parents are researchers, they work in the lab in Pallet, and I know a lot of kids think it's the greatest thing to roam around the country fighting and training and things, but, well, I guess I was a bit of a... I think they call it being a homebody? Well, anyways, I really just stuck around the house at age ten, and, well, it's a lot of responsibility, taking care of pokemon, you know? And I know that other kids do it all the time, but I just didn't really want to be in charge of a team and, more than that, being out on my own, with only me to keep me in line?"

I laughed, hearing an unwelcome hint of self-consciousness in my voice. "I guess none of these arguments make a lot of sense to you, but I'm just not really interested in working with pokemon. Nothing against those that do, but it wasn't my calling, and I don't think that's changed in the past five-odd years."

The nurse nodded, an understanding smile on her face. "I won't lie, it is quite strange, and your arguments aren't perfectly sensible, but it's important that you had enough sense of self to acknowledge that you didn't have the maturity to handle pokemon."

I saw that she was trying to compliment me, so I bit back the angry response that no, that wasn't really it at all. Instead, I nodded and said, "Well, and my brothers were still kind of little, so really, it just helped that I was at home to take care of them. That way, my mother could still work and things."

In the privacy of my mind, I sighed sadly. Joy didn't understand. No one really did, not even me. I just had never had a burning desire to follow the general flow of things and get a team together just because everyone else did. I didn't like to use that argument, though, because I felt like it made me into an arrogant brat who just wanted to rebel... even if that was perhaps the case.

The nurse cleared her throat, startling me out of my thoughts. "So, why are you out traveling now?" she inquired, a hesitant lilt to her voice. "You didn't... run away, by any chance?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, see, I got this package from my grandfather." The memory lit up behind my eyes: my mother plopping a large cardboard package down on my bed along with my basket of unfolded laundry. "He lives in Lavender Town, cliffy area, you know. When we were little, our parents would take us there during the summer, and he would take us hiking. He always said that if we wanted to go on adventures, we should have survival skills ready to go."

Realizing that I was drifting on a tangent, I hastily continued. "So, anyways, he sent me this leather jacket for my birthday." I chuckled. "Sorry, just that he always sends our presents two months late. He says it keeps the magic alive or something. I always thought it was kind of neat."

I turned the jacket over in my lap, eyes on the material. There were light grass stains on the front and back, but that didn't worry me too much. After all, Granddad always said that clothes hadn't lived until they'd been dirty. That little proverb used to frustrate my mother to no end, since it just encouraged my brothers and me to get positively filthy. I slipped a hand into one of the pockets. Granddad's letter was still there.

"He wrote me a letter, too, instead of a card this time," I continued, pulling the envelope out and showing it to Joy. "It basically just says that he misses seeing me and that, since I don't have much to do now that Chris is off on his journey, maybe I should come and visit him?" In my mind's eye, I saw his firm, blocky handwriting, scratched across the page with one of his old-fashioned pens. "Mom and Dad weren't too sure at first, they'd got me an internship at the labs lined up, but, see, I kind of wanted to go, just for a change. So they gave it the greenlight, so long as I didn't talk to Chris about it."

I sighed. "He's the baby of the family, but he just hates it. He's always going on about how he never gets to do anything by himself, how there's always someone there insisting that he hold their hand. That's why this trainer journey thing is really important to him, because he's been looking forward to being out on his own for once for so long."

Joy nodded. "It's a common sentiment among youngest trainers. We see a good deal of the fresh ones out this way, and they usually talk while we take charge of their pokemon. Some worry that they can't live up to expectations, others think their accomplishments won't matter, since their older brothers and sisters already went through the circuit." She frowned. "Is your brother like that? It helps to be ready for what they might say, so that you can react properly sympathetically."

I shook my head, grinning. "You actually do that?"

"Well, of course!" Joy looked slightly surprised. "They're new trainers, they're only now realizing that it's not always going to be an easy win. That's hard for many of them, especially if they have a type advantage one place but not elsewhere. _Especially_ the kids with fire-types who come up through Viridian Forest." She sighed. "They're all horrified that Brock's Onix crushed their charmander, even though they defeated forty-seven weedle on the way."

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my sudden discomfort. "Didn't they pay attention to those trainer tips they send out through the mail? Even _I _know that rock beats fire!" I knew Chris had paid attention, quoted various bits of advice for the past month, but would he get overconfident in the forest with his charmander?

It took me a moment to realize Nurse Joy was staring expectantly at me. I flushed, realizing she must have asked me a question. "Oh, um, sorry, what did you say?"

"What is your younger brother going to be like?"

I considered it. "Well... He's a reasonably well-behaved kid, usually, and I guess he might talk about Mike? He pretty much idolizes Mike, wants to be just like him, probably caught a caterpie for his second pokemon just like Mike did."

"Oh, is that all? Well, this should be a good visit for him, then." The nurse checked her watch, and her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, I just realized!"

"What, what's wrong?"

"You haven't eaten anything since you got here, and who knows when you last ate! I'll bring you some soup, back in a moment!" With that, she scuttled out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

I sighed, feeling strangely grateful. Joy was sweet, but telling her my story had felt faintly taxing... Though perhaps that was just the poison talking. _Poison_. Maybe my parents were right. Maybe I should have left back when I was ten. Joy had a point; most kids _did_ at least give training a shot. In fact, I couldn't think of anyone who hadn't had a journey of some sort while growing up.

At least my parents supported me taking the trip to see Granddad. That was something, at least. I hadn't seen my grandfather in years; the distance was becoming too great for him to manage, and Mom and Dad had been too wrapped up in perfecting the starter program to spare time for vacations. Besides, once Mike was out of the house, there was an unspoken understanding that we kids would naturally visit him ourselves when we reached Lavender Town.

Or, at least, they would, I reminded myself. I had to be a rebel. Or is it really a rebellion? Why is it so unacceptable to not want to train a team? The poison thing was... Whatever the inverse of a fluke is. An anti-fluke, I guess. Point is, it was something dumb that happened because I was being irrational after that whole incident in Viridian. I just needed to be more careful, both on the road and with my emotions. Yeah, things would be just fine.

I lay my head back on my pillow, wishing it was a little bit less flat, hugging my leather jacket to my chest like a teddy bear. Joy returned with a bowl of soup, and we discovered that I was not nearly as recovered as I initially looked.

"Well, at least we got the can over in time," Joy murmured conversationally, measuring another dose of antidote. "We don't want to overload your system with this, though, or else you could potentially be in worse shape than if we left you poisoned."

I just groaned. Only day two of my travels, and I was already bedridden, swimming in nausea. What a start.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews of all kinds are appreciated. What do you think?<strong>

**Carp  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

I spent the rest of the day in the human infirmary. As the afternoon passed, the nausea decreased to the point where I could have slow, careful sips of water without heaving it back up. Trainers flowed in and out of the Pokemon Center during the afternoon, so Joy didn't attend to me much outside of short breaks. At these times, she would check the back of my neck for any sign of a purple rash, the sign of a more serious poisoning. The chansey sometimes poked its head in to check on me, but would never actually enter the room. After this happened a few times, I guessed that it - she, according to Joy, though I couldn't tell - was either still embarrassed about mistaking me for a boy or, more likely, was simply as busy as the nurse. In any case, I spent a good deal of time alone with my thoughts in the white, sterile-smelling room.

As I lay on my side, legs drawn up slightly under the sheets, I considered my situation. Even if I had been up and running, I still couldn't leave the room until Chris had been and gone. I wondered how I would manage to navigate that particular hurdle. I had no idea how long he would have to stay in Pewter in order to earn the Boulder Badge. It could be days, even weeks, with that charmander of his. A familiar wave of nausea crept over me, and I drew my legs up closer to my chest, pulling the sheet over my shoulder. Figuring out how to leave the city unnoticed would have to wait until I could be sure of a solid meal. I sighed, clenching my teeth as my stomach wobbled slightly, and closed my eyes.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Nurse Joy woke me up with a bowl of soup and a visitor. I groggily found myself shaking the hand of a tall, tanned man. "Good to see that you're all right, Anna," he said, smiling. "You had me worried earlier today, but it looks like you're mending up fine. I'm Brock."<p>

He let go of my hand, and I let it flop on top of my sheets, half smiling in return. "I dunno that I'd call m'self 'all right'," I mumbled, shoving myself into a sitting position. I hoped Joy wouldn't force me to eat while Brock was watching; it would be embarrassing to vomit in front of a gym leader. It turned out, however, that he had only dropped by to check on me and introduce himself, and left a few minutes later after inviting me to visit the gym when I felt up to it. I had nodded, but doubted that I would take him up on his offer, seeing as I had no pokemon and, more importantly, Chris would be gravitating towards it. Joy, meanwhile, set up a tray and placed my dinner before me, strategically positioning the bucket right next to my bed.

"Isn't he wonderful?" she sighed, handing me a spoon. "I mean, not to belittle what happened to you, but that's just the sort of person Brock is, y'know? He's always showing his concern about the people who live here in the city. He should, he's as much the city leader as the gym leader. See, there were some people, back when he took the job on a few years ago, and they were all sure that he was too young, or too inexperienced, although I guess that could tie into being too young, oh, and that he wouldn't be listened to, that people wouldn't respect him. I mean, I suppose I can see where they would be coming from, y'know, but, well, just look at him now! He's really a great leader, and so concerned about people and pokemon alike! He never lets new trainers blame or punish their pokemon for losing, and if an older trainer tries something like that, well, he definitely gives them a lesson they won't forget! Y'know, he really is what our community needs right now."

I had been nodding through her glowing appraisal, and now glanced into my bowl. I was shocked to see that it was nearly empty. The nurse followed my gaze and smiled triumphantly. "Oh, and I learned once that if you talk to someone in your condition, they're able to partially forget their nausea and at least swallow down some food. Now you just need to keep it down. Would you like me to bring you anything, something to read, perhaps? We have a library, y'know."

I did not know this. "What books do you have?"

"Oh, classics, fairy tales, y'know, things like that."

I shrugged. I went through phases of voracious reading at home, usually when all the television networks were running repeats to fill up space between seasons. While I was not on such a kick at the moment, I was eager for a distraction from a mildly ominous rumble in my stomach. "I suppose fairy tales could be all right," I decided. She nodded and left, closing the door behind her. I waited, listening intently to my stomach. Luckily, it seemed that the rumbling had settled. I sighed, temporarily relieved.

Joy swept back in, carrying a stack of books in her arms. Behind her, I could hear the notes of a familiar overture coming from the lobby. "The trainers are watching television," she explained, dropping the books on the swivel chair and dragging it to my bedside. "The first Indiana Jones film is on."

I frowned, wishing I could have seen it too. Spending six extra years at home watching my brothers had made me all the more appreciative of movies like that, ones full of adventure and action and risks and excitement, something that was hardly available to a pair of young boys growing up in Viridian. Then my stomach rumbled again, and, clenching my jaw, I picked up one of the books and began to read.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning with the book over my face and the sound of a door whisking shut in my ears. I had read late into the night, or, at least, late past when Joy turned half of the lobby lights off. The lack of windows in my room was beginning to frustrate me; I missed sunlight. I sat up and stretched, the book falling into my lap. I had made a fair dent in the thick treasury. It had been nostalgic, in a way, reading all the stories I remembered from when they were being read to Mike and Chris. I chuckled as I remembered insisting that I would read to them, and how Mike always complained I read too slow, how Chris would whine that I didn't have different enough voices for all the characters.<p>

I sighed. We were closer before I had decided to not go on my journey. They had reacted so differently to that. Mike had thought it was pretty great, actually, because that way he would have something first. That was really important to him, being the first to do something. He was always so sure that he was that sort of put-upon middle child, with all the attention either going to Anna being the first to tie her shoes or Baby Chris producing a snarly knot, ignoring how he had made perfect wigglytuff ears on his first try. He didn't really notice, I guess, that he was a real favorite of Dad's. I had always supposed that it probably came from being the first son, that attention. At any rate, he was determined to be the best to make it obvious that he was awesome in his own right. Or, wait, had it been to be Chris's hero?

I frowned, thoughts and memories slurring together. I rubbed the sleep crust out of my eyes, wishing I had gotten more sleep, but it was difficult to keep that sort of schedule without the sun. Remembering that a slamming door had woken me, I glanced over to the counter and saw a plate of toast. Joy must have decided I could stand to eat solid food. I frowned, unsure, but then my stomach growled insistently and I found myself propelled across the cold linoleum tiles towards the plate. To my delight, she seemed to be right, and I was still hungry when there were only crumbs left on the plate. Having food in my stomach, though pleasant, did make me restless. I picked up the treasury and paced around the room, continuing to read as I stretched my legs. When the chansey opened the door a fraction to check on me, she hurriedly chattered something to Joy, who came bustling in to assess my condition.

"Well, it looks like we've really purged the poison from your system, then, doesn't it?" she said brightly, watching me pace. She then frowned as I slowed and stumbled over to the bed and half-collapsed on it, already worn out after only a small bit of walking. "You do need to get your strength back up, though," she added, looking me over critically. "You need to replenish all those calories, y'know, and I don't want you passing out on the trail again!"

I sighed unhappily. More confinement. Unless... "Can I at least leave this room?" I begged.

This made her lips twitch back up into their usual cheerful smile as she looked me up and down. "Well, yes," she chuckled, wrinkling her nose, "but you may want to shower first."

* * *

><p>After standing under a jet of wonderfully hot water, cleaning away all of the sweat and grime from the past two days, I was permitted to sit in the lobby. I leaned back in a well-stuffed armchair, relaxing in a beam of sunlight, practically basking like a persian. It was wonderful to see things lit with warm tones rather than the harsh white of the fluorescent.<p>

Looking out the window, I could see puffy white clouds drifting slowly across the beautifully blue sky. I smiled to myself, searching for any clouds that looked like anything specific. Today, there were just rounded puffs, nothing special, but that was okay. I realized that I might have been overreacting to the brightness due to having been cooped in the sick room, but I didn't care. The world outside was beautiful, and it was making me positively itch to be out there, on my way to Granddad's.

I lazed the day away, watching clouds, reading stories, and eating food that became steadily more filling. I was nearing a light doze in the afternoon sunbeams, the anthology of classic stories falling to my lap, my eyelids drooping, when the front door slid open with a whirring of gears. I blinked, sitting up to see the newcomer, and froze. I was an idiot. How had I forgotten?

Standing in the door was none other than my youngest brother, Chris. He glanced around at his surroundings, and I immediately turned my focus to the television, hoping to appear casual as I scanned the weather report. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug his shoulders and march toward the front desk, unhooking two pokeballs from his belt as he went. I continued to keep my head facing the screen, hoping that Joy would play it as cool as I was trying to. Chris hadn't noticed me yet; there was no reason to draw his attention to me now.

I heard the desk bell ring once, and then Joy's clacking footsteps. I waited, wishing that there was a newspaper I could hide behind. I settled on trying to make myself as small as possible in my chair, doing my best to be inconspicuous.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pewter Pokemon Center! Would you like me to get you a room for tonight or heal your pokemon?" Nurse Joys had a general script, she had told me yesterday during one of her breaks. This was apparently meant to provide a sense of comfort to younger trainers who were unused to being so far from home. Studies had shown that kids were fans of consistency, apparently, so Pokemon Centers tried to cater to that.

"I only need my team to be healed right now, thank you," Chris said. I smiled, pleased at his politeness. I heard a soft thunk as his pokeballs were laid on the counter.

"Certainly, this will take just a moment. Will you be staying in town at all?" Nurse Joys were also supposed to try to ensure that the kids who came in were safe, and they did their best to provide for their needs. This apparently made parents feel more comfortable with the idea of allowing their children to go on their journeys, apparently forgetting that they themselves had taken their own at that age.

"I might, but I'm hoping that I can win against Brock and maybe just keep going. I'll let you know, though." This, I realized, would be a problem. I glanced out the window and winced. The sun was already nearly visible at the top edge of the window. Even if Chris did win his battle, he would probably need to stay at the Center until the next day. I wasn't sure I could avoid him for that long, unless I went back into the sick room, which would feel more like a prison than a sanctuary. I would have to talk to Joy-

"Finished!" I started, Joy's cheerful voice shaking me out of my thoughts. "Your team looks to be all set. Be sure to stop by if they need healing!"

"I will, Nurse. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Good luck to you!"

I heard footsteps, not clacking, but firm and muted. Chris marched past my chair and out the automatic doors, seemingly looking straight ahead of him. I watched him through the windows, waiting until he turned the corner. As soon as his backpack was out of sight, I heard hurried clacks, and Joy was suddenly at my side.

"Was that him?" she asked breathlessly.

I nodded. "He's going to have to stay the night. What should I do?"

Joy's forehead creased as she thought it over. "I could get you a trainer room, I suppose..." she began hesitantly, "but, you see, those really are supposed to be for trainers. I can't turn away someone with pokemon. You could stay in the sick room-"

"Um, actually, if it's not too much trouble, I really would rather not sleep in there." I knew I was being perhaps selfish and certainly ridiculous, but I was getting quite uncomfortable with the idea of spending another night in that windowless room. "Where do you sleep?"

"Me?" There was a hint of reserve in her voice. "I mean, I have a room for myself in the back, I suppose, for when Chansey takes over, y'know, breaks and such... I suppose that's an option." She still looked uncomfortable with the very suggestion, and I supposed I could see why. Working amidst demanding trainers and sick pokemon and all the little details and problems that were tied to that line of work, the nurse probably considered her room to be her one sanctum from everything work-related.

I shook my head. "No, we'll work something out. How many trainers are already staying here?"

"I think only two, and, y'know, considering the batch of trainers we had yesterday, you might be able to snag a room. We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

><p>I went to wash dishes in the kitchens after Chris had left for the gym, both for something to do and in an effort to perhaps give something back to Joy for doing so much for me. She had said that it was unnecessary, but the work was familiar from days when my parents had worked late at the lab. After that was done, I followed Chansey around the food stores like a lost growlithe, looking for something useful to do.<p>

At first, Chansey squeaked and gesticulated, telling me that I had done enough and should go back to resting. Eventually, though, she relented and allowed me to help measure dry food for the other pokemon, briskly pointing to different containers marked with various colorful symbols. I stood there, puzzled. There were several signs on each container, but I only knew the one referencing the element.

Chansey, perplexed by my inactivity, shuffled over. "Chansey chanse?"

I shook my head, hoping I had understood the gist of her question. "I don't get what the signs mean."

The pokemon let out a long sigh, pointed at a container, and waved her short arms parallel to the ground.

I stared at her. "Um, wait, do you mean that's for birds?"

"Sey!" We continued the pantomime routine for about three more containers, but a loud _ding! _seemed to remind the chansey that there was work to be done. She hurriedly stacked the containers into my arms, pointing at a metal counter with plastic bowls stacked neatly to one side.

Chansey was stronger than she looked, and I staggered slightly under the weight. Tucking the topmost container under my chin, I strode over to the work station and carefully placed the plastic tins on the countertop. I opened the top one, which had a water symbol, a fish silhouette, and a number 3, which apparently meant it was magikarp food. Inside were small flakes and a tiny measuring cup. I glanced again at the symbols. Did the three mean three cups of flakes, or was that what indicated that this was magikarp food? Deciding to go with my first guess, I began to scoop the flakes into one of the bowls. Almost immediately, Chansey was at my shoulder, grabbing my hand. She then proceeded to hover over my shoulder, correcting even the tiniest mistake (apparently, one could not eyeball cups of flakes, but had to scrape it perfectly level) until a clacking sound announced Joy's arrival on the scene.

"Chansey, the trainers are supposed to get their pokemon fed in five minutes! What's going-"

"Chan-seyyy!" The pokemon threw her hands up in the air, clearly exasperated, and huffed as she waddled over to her own station. I sighed as Joy walked over.

"Having trouble?" she asked, glancing from me to the bowl of flakes.

I shook my head, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "I don't think so, but is there enough magikarp food in here?"

The nurse checked the dish. "Looks about right to me. Here, let me help you finish up here."

I nodded, and passed her a couple of the bowls. Glancing at her face, I was surprised to see her scanning my expression, a faint note of concern in her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" she asked quietly as she opened another container.

I shrugged. "I dunno," I said just as quietly, replacing the top on the magikarp flakes. "She doesn't seem to want me to help, at least if she isn't doing the work."

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of Joy's face. "Well, she wants to be sure everything is perfect," she said. "She doesn't want anyone complaining about unfair rations, so everything has to be even. That, and she doesn't want anyone to get sick from contaminated food, not on her watch, at least."

I nodded. This made sense. Still, there was one question lingering in my mind. "Um, Joy?"

"Yes?"

"Does Chansey... dislike me?" The last part came out barely above a whisper. I felt ashamed as Joy frowned.

"Not at all. She just has a lot on her plate, and she doesn't want you to cause any extra problems. She's a bit, y'know, brisk with everyone."

"Oh... okay." If anything, I felt more uncomfortable. More than that: I felt arrogant. Why would I merit special dislike from a random chansey? Especially one who I could see working as quickly as possible to fill an enormous array of bowls over at her station. I sighed, putting the lids back on the containers as Joy finished filling the other bowls. As I fitted the last lid into place, another _ding!_ announced that it was time to serve the food. Joy and Chansey dragged carts out from under the countertops and quickly moved the bowls onto it. They moved much more quickly than I did, and I felt rather in the way.

I bit my lip, feeling a mite useless. "I could push one of those into the cafeteria, if you'd like," I offered.

Joy paused, two bowls in her hand, to stare at me. "Your brother is out there," she reminded me, and I immediately felt idiotic all over again."I appreciate the offer, but it really isn't the best idea.

"Oh, right, yeah..." There wasn't much I really could say, I supposed. I wondered if maybe I was tired, and whether that might be impeding my thought process. Everything about me felt sluggish.

Suddenly, a key was dangled in front of my nose. "You should go up to your room now," Joy said, grinning at my bewildered expression. "There aren't that many trainers here, just a lot of pokemon. It's number 217, second floor, fourth on the left if you take the stairs across the hall. I'd go now, if I were you. Your brother's in the cafeteria now, but you might not get such a perfect opportunity later."

I took the key wordlessly and hugged her, then hurried past Chansey out of the kitchens.

* * *

><p>Room 217 had a window facing the western arm of Viridian Forest. As I pulled the door closed behind me, I inhaled deeply. This room was much better than the sick room. Though it smelled clean, it didn't have that sharp, medical edge of the white room. That was the other thing I had missed, I realized: color. This room may have had white walls, but the bunk bed had an unpainted wood frame, and the blankets were a bright and cheerful blue.<p>

Though these things were important, they all paled next to the presence of the window. I hurried to it, raising the shade and turning the crank to creakily raise the outside glass a few inches outward. I grinned as the cool evening breeze brushed across the back of my hand. Part of me – the part which reveled in the outdoors, a holdover from the days of hiking with Granddad – wanted to just leave the window open and sleep with the sounds of the night. Still... I cranked the window back shut, listening to the part of me that was used to being indoors and, more importantly, not wanting to upset Joy. She'd probably have something to say about me catching my death, I supposed. Besides, it could get quite cold outside at night, and I wouldn't be in my sleeping bag, but under sheets and a blanket not meant for outdoor temperatures.

I flicked off the light and turned to the bed, pulling back the covers on the lower bunk. Slipping under the sheets, I rested my head on the pillow, still unused to how my hair poked and prodded the pillow, my neck, and the back of my head. The sun had finished sinking past the trees a few minutes before, and the sky still held an echo of daylight toward the west. The clouds were still just puffballs in the sky, now tinged with reds, pinks, and purples from the sunset. I wondered, briefly, if I would ever really see the sun set, with the light dipping down past the horizon, not leaving a halo of leftover daytime behind the trees. It always looked so beautiful, the complete experience.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by a gentle tapping at the door. "Anna, it's just me, Joy," I heard her say through the door. "Just wanted to let you know that your brother seems happy with things, and that you were right about the caterpie. I thought you'd like that. Anyway, if you need anything, go to the lobby. Sleep well!"

As the echoes of her footsteps faded, my thoughts focused on Chris. I wondered if he had caught the caterpie as a deliberate attempt to be like Mike. Maybe it was a subconscious thing. Maybe it was unrelated. Maybe he wanted to prove he could do better than Mike. It didn't seem to really matter, though, as I lay staring up through the window at a patch of rapidly darkening sky, safe and cozy in my room, a room where the air was sweet and the blankets were warm and the room was now as dark as the sky outside...

I drifted into sleep with the shades left up, gazing through drooping eyelids at the hints of stars winking out in between the clumps of cloud which crept over the treetops. As my eyes grew heavier and I snuggled into my blanket, I put away my worries about the next day, about how to avoid Chris and which path I should take to get back on my journey. Things tended to work out for the best. This would do the same.

* * *

><p><strong>All types of review are appreciated, and I try to respond to all the signed ones. Let me know if I missed yours. In any case, what do you think?<strong>

**Carp**


	4. Chapter 4

Someone's insistent knocking at my door yanked me out of cosy sleep, and I sat up too quickly, forgetting I was in a bunk bed. I yelped in pain, and the knocking stopped. "Are you all right?" Joy's voice, though muted by the door, had a definite edge of concern to it.

"Um, yeah, I'm okay, just bumped my head," I replied, rubbing it ruefully. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine thirty. Your brother left at a quarter to nine, wanted to be the first one there this morning, I heard him say. Come on, get dressed and come down for some breakfast." I heard the muffled clacking as she strode off down the tiled hallway.

Rolling out of bed, I stretched and looked out the window. The sky was a pale blue, with a single cloud hanging over the treetops. It looked like a perfect day to get back to my journey. Reveling in my apparent good health, I rushed down the stairs, almost slipping, and skidded to a halt in the lobby.

Joy looked up from a newspaper spread over the front counter. She smiled at my evident enthusiasm. "Yes?"

I laughed, feeling a tiny bit foolish but not minding overly much. "Just wondering where the cafeteria is."

The nurse laughed, and led me down a new hallway to a room as large as the lobby, with circular tables surrounded with plastic chairs. The place was deserted; trainers seemed to be early risers. I shrugged and went to the buffet, grabbing fruit and toast. I felt Joy's eyes on my back, and, turning, saw a look of anxiety flicker there before it was replaced with professional calm.

"Make sure not to overdo things, y'know?" Joy reminded me, sounding very much like a proper nurse, or my mother, for that matter.

I giggled. The idea of this woman as my mother was simply too funny. "I won't. Don't worry about me, ma'—I mean, Joy. I feel great, actually."

Joy smiled, and I wondered if she believed me. "Does this mean you'll be setting out today?" she asked.

"I hope so. I just… No offense," I said hastily, wanting her to understand, "this place is nice and well-run and stuff, but I really just want to be out there on my way again. It's such a beautiful day, and –"

"No, it's fine, I get it, y'know?" Joy interrupted me, holding up a hand. "I guess I'm just a bit worried. I mean, you did already get poisoned, y'know? What if something else happens to you, alone without any pokemon to keep you safe?"

"That only happened because I was being stupid," I argued. "I was all steamed that the Nurse Joy in Viridian kicked me out of the Center, so I went and did something idiotic to try and prove that I could make it on my own. I still _can_ make it on my own! I just need to keep better control of myself. I really don't know where my head was, but I've learned from my mistake!" I stopped, panting slightly, staring into the nurse's blue eyes. "Please, Joy. I just want to be out there. Please don't stop me."

Joy stared back at me, and I could see that she was trying to come to a decision. I understood where she was coming from; Nurse Joys were supposed to look out for trainers and pokemon alike. But surely she understood my situation too, from all that I had told her. Maybe I could –

"You promise you'll be more careful?" Joy asked, cutting short my train of thought. I refocused on her face. It held the same sort of resigned acceptance that I had seen on my parents' faces when I had asked to go on this journey in the first place.

I grinned. "I promise."

"No matter how many trainers try and battle you? No matter how many people mistake you for a boy?"

"I said I promise, didn't I?"

She chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose you did. Now, c'mon, eat your breakfast. Cold toast is nasty, y'know."

* * *

><p>I left Pewter City soon after that. Joy had hugged me and told me to be careful, while Chansey had offered a paw for me to shake. I hurried past the street which led towards the gym and set off east down Route 3. The shadows thrown by the cliffs made the morning air slightly too cool, so I zipped up my jacket. My focus, however, was on the glorious vista ahead. I could not see enough of the beautiful scenery. The grass had never seemed so intensely green at home, nor the sky so blue. The rocky outcroppings that created a sort of canyon were full of shades of brown and gray, and I thought I saw a geodude or two moving up over the cliffs.<p>

As I walked, I wondered why I hadn't done this sooner. I had missed seeing Granddad, who still refused to get a video phone installed in his house, saying that it just stopped people from sending proper letters. I missed climbing around the cliffs around Lavender Town, which the ones around me reminded me so strongly of. I grinned, remembering finding oddly colored pebbles on those hikes, and Granddad insisting I only take one with me. I still had it, a rounded bit of sulfur, sitting on a shelf in my bedroom back at home. It was probably coated with dust now, as it was on a pretty high shelf. Maybe when I got home, I could –

"Hey, you there! Hey!"

I stopped and turned, puzzled, toward where I had heard the call. There stood a rather lanky boy who seemed about eleven years old, maybe twelve. He was wearing an oversized straw hat and carried a butterfree net over his shoulder. His arms were crossed, making the pole cross over his throat. He was scowling at me.

"Dude, get your head out of the clouds. I need to evolve Elesa, so can we please get a move on?"

"Who?" I asked, bewildered.

"Oh, right, my kakuna, sorry. But, yeah, c'mon, you know the drill, stalling's no fair, man." His brows furrowed as I stood there, wondering how exactly to handle the situation. This was something which I should have given more thought to. I bit my lip, trying to think of the best way to go about explain—

"Dude! This is getting ridiculous, man, c'mon, send out your Pokemon!" The net fell to the ground as the boy's arms went to his sides, his left hand balled into a fist while his right hand snatched a pokeball from his belt. I could see the beginnings of a temper tantrum in the works and winced, wondering whether maybe this was just a tall ten year old.

"First of all, I'm not a dude," I announced, pitching my voice a bit higher than usual for emphasis. "And, second of all, I don't have any pokemon."

The boy had flushed crimson at the first revelation (perhaps he was closer to twelve, I guessed), but at the second, he began to actually shake with fury. "That's a lie, lady!" he yelled, maximizing his pokeball.

I sighed, knowing from experience with brothers that yelling back would do more harm than good. "No, it's really not. Here, I have my ID card –"

I yanked my wallet out of my pocket and tossed it at the boy. Startled, he flubbed the catch and it fell to the ground. He grabbed it, and opened it to the ID window. Ripping it out of its sleeve, he held it up inches from his face, scanning it for details. I could practically see the moment where he saw that there was no trainer stamp on mine. His face, already red, turned darker, and I hurried over, guessing what he was thinking.

When I reached him, he thrust the wallet at me. "Take it. I… I'm sorry, ma'am." I stiffened at the 'ma'am', and suddenly Joy's taking offense at the word made a lot more sense.

"Nothing to worry about, it happens all the time," I said, accepting my wallet and gently patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't live up to expectations. What's your name?"

"I'm Kevin, ma'am," the boy replied, shuffling his feet and refusing to look me in the eye. This was not the most comfortable situation. I felt old, as if I were his teacher, rather than someone a few years older.

"Kevin, huh? That's my dad's name. Anyway, I'm Anna. Sorry that I can't help you with your – Elesa, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, she's really good, too!" Kevin brightened up at this, the blush receding from his face. "I mean, for a kakuna, it's really good that she can still attack and be friendly. Do you want to meet her?" He looked up at me, excited.

I shook my head. "That's okay, I actually need to get going. It was nice meeting you, though! Good luck with Elesa!"

I waved to him and hurried off. It felt slightly rude, but on the other hand, we both had places we needed to be, and neither of us were making the other any more productive. Besides… cocoon pokemon weren't especially interesting, despite what a gushing enthusiast might say. They mostly sat and stared at you, and I found that rather creepy. Shaking my head, I turned my thoughts to the actual encounter with Kevin. I wondered if people generally got that frustrated if battles weren't immediately initiated. Maybe Kevin had had a bad day thus far? I wasn't sure, but a small knot of anxiety curled in my stomach as I continued to head east along the canyon.

* * *

><p>As it happened, the rest of the trainers who tried challenging me were far less fiery about battles than Kevin. Usually, they were disappointed that their pokemon had missed out on a chance for more experience, though no one had as short a fuse about it as Kevin had. All of them, however, mistook me for a boy. I didn't mind as much as I might have. My zipped jacket was hardly form-fitting, and at any rate, they would always apologize profusely. I would then tell them not to worry about it, and we'd both move on.<p>

As I reached the end of the canyon, I saw a Pokemon Center built near the mouth of a large hole in the side of the cliff. I made my way toward it, only stopped once by a trainer who, after hearing me announce I had no pokemon, let me go without a second thought. Well, unless "Call me!" counted as a second thought. I had rolled my eyes at that. What a stupid thing to yell. Not only had she not heard me state I was a girl (at least, that was what I had assumed, though the inverse could also have been true), but, more importantly, she hadn't provided me with a number. Of course, this might have indicated that it was an insult, but even if it was, it was pretty lame. Besides, wouldn't the implications backfire on her...? Puzzling that out brought a small smile to my face as I got closer to my destination. Silly people.

I sighed with relief as I clambered up the steps to the entrance, turning to face the route I had just traversed. I had come a decently long way, and the shadows were just now beginning to lengthen eastward. I turned and walked through the sliding doors. Scanning the lobby, which looked identical to the one in Pewter City, I spotted an empty armchair and sat down, letting my pack fall to the ground with a muted thump and smiling at how familiar it all was. Perhaps those researchers were onto something.

I pulled my map out of my wallet and unfolded it, smoothing it out on my lap. I had to decide what the best course of action would be. My fingers traced along Route 3 to its terminus, and my eyes widened. I had already reached Mount Moon.

I grinned. When I was five years old, I had been convinced that the peak was actually a volcano on the brink of eruption. I had imagined fire pouring out of the top of the cliff, drowning the trees in a fiery inferno. I remembered how disappointed I had been when, after I had brought it up, my father explained that it was only a mountain after all. Shaking my head slightly, I refocused on the map.

It seemed that the simplest route at this point was to continue east to Cerulean, south to Saffron, and then east again to Lavender. All three would have places for me to rest and stock up on supplies, and they were linked by established paths. The only question, it seemed, was how to get past the mountain, but the map had an answer for that as well. A small yellow line shaped like a sideways L seemed to slice the mountain in two pieces, the shorter leg next to a red square and the longer one meeting with Route 4. I checked the legend. An unbroken yellow line meant a tunnel, and red squares were for Pokemon Centers. I remembered the hole in the side of the cliff that I had noticed next to the Center. At least the entrance wasn't too far away. I folded up the map and stretched in my chair, wondering if I wanted to set out again or wait until the next morning.

I glanced over to the television, wondering if impending bad weather would affect my decision. A commercial was playing at that moment, however, so I got up from the chair. Dragging my pack back on my shoulders, I strode out of the Pokemon Center, sighing inwardly with relief that the Nurse Joy either hadn't noticed me or had assumed I had things under control. I was relieved to have dodged what might well have been another Viridian incident.

I had to squint in the afternoon sunlight as I faced westward. The sun, though not quite setting, had definitely moved quite a bit as I had sat ruminating over the map. I wondered whether I had dozed off in the chair but turned my attention to the skies, scanning them for signs of storms. There were only a few feathery wisps of cloud high above, and I relaxed. I could still travel if I wanted to. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the calm of the afternoon.

A sudden scrabbling to my left caught my attention. Turning, I saw two bedraggled boys stumble, gasping, out of the tunnel's mouth. They looked as if they had been dredged through a dust storm, and their faces were caked with grime. Both of them had ropes tied to their waists, the ends dangling inches from the ground.

"I told you not to shine it in their eyes!" one yelled at the other, thrusting his right fist at his companion's collarbone. He missed and nearly overbalanced, the second boy catching him by shoulder just in time.

"Hey, man, it's not like I did it on purpose," the second whined, shoving the first away from him. He ran a hand through dark hair, only succeeding in rubbing more grime into it. "I tripped on a rock and dropped it, okay? How many more times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

The first boy was still scowling. "Thanks to you, we need to buy more rope. Probably more potions too, I think some fell out of my bag when we were running."

"Hey, at least we were able to find our way back! It's not my fault you tied the knot so badly that you couldn't undo it!"

"Ah, shuddup, let's just go in here and get our teams fixed up. Maybe next time you'll remember that zubat like it dark."

"I said I was sorry!"

The two boys marched past me without acknowledging my presence, too busy feuding. I might have been amused, as they reminded me a bit of myself and Mark when we were younger, but there was a more pressing issue. If those kids came out of the tunnel looking like that and had pokemon to help them… I didn't want to think of what sort of condition I might end up in. I walked over to the edge of the tunnel and peered into the darkness. I could hear echoes bouncing back towards me, but I couldn't tell from how far in. How far did the tunnel go? I considered turning back to the Center to ask the boys some questions, but I knew that it wouldn't make any difference. I didn't need my promise to Joy to keep me from putting myself in such an unnecessarily dangerous situation.

Of course, that left me in a bit of a tight fix. What other options did I have? From the sounds of it, there were wild pokemon in the tunnel, which I guessed would be a draw for trainers needing new recruits, thus making it the popular route east. But did that mean it was the only way to Cerulean? I scanned the surrounding area, looking for other ways. I didn't have to go up to the peak of the mountain, surely, to reach the other side. From the ground at least, it seemed that the cliffs plateaued for a while, so perhaps that could be my route. All I needed was a way to get to the top.

I stood back and stared at the cliffs surrounding me, trying to find a relatively simple way up. Finally, I spotted a series of ledges fifty yards away that looked just right for scrambling up the side. I glanced back to the west, noting the position of the sun. I would have time to reach a suitable campsite before sundown, surely. Thus resolved, I set off towards the ledges. I remembered doing something similar with Granddad back in the day, and smiled slightly at the memory of my amazement that mountains weren't always sheer cliffs like in the movies.

I was doing perfectly fine initially. The ledges were of varying heights, but a combination of natural handholds and footholds allowed me to climb without much difficulty. The actual ledges were wide enough to allow for short rests in between climbs. I reached the halfway point quickly and smiled to myself, pleased that I had remembered Granddad's lessons.

It was not until the last ledge before the summit that disaster struck. My left arm was stretched out, reaching for the top of the cliff, when the ground beneath my right foot shifted. Suddenly, my foothold was gone, and my left hand clawed at the air, searching for something to grip as I clung to the side of the cliff with my right. I huddled against the side of the cliff, both hands gripping a small protrusion, seeking to regain my footing. Breathing heavily, I took a minute to assess the situation, trying to keep myself calm.

I was perhaps twenty-five feet off the ground, so the fall would not kill me necessarily, but it would be falling onto rocks all the same. There was also my pack to be considered, and I suddenly wished that I had rigged some sort of mechanism to drag it up after me. Hadn't Granddad mentioned something like that? It was too late to worry about such things now; the question was how I would get out of this situation.

I strained to hear what was happening, not daring to look down to check for people. Was that the wind, or was there something on top of the cliff? Perhaps someone? I wondered if I could manage to pull myself up despite the heavy load and lack of footholds, but then I froze. An ominous cracking seemed to be coming from somewhere far, far too close. I nearly fell, barely restraining the urge to throw my hands against my face in terror. I was screaming now, unable to stop myself. Screaming for someone to please, please help me, someone, anyone at all. Screaming so loudly that I couldn't hear the cracking anymore, or the footfalls of any rescuers, assuming they were coming, and I couldn't know that they were. There would be no sudden shadows over my head to tell me that help was near, for the sun was warm on the back of my neck as I sobbed into the rock wall, any pretense of sureness gone, wanting only to be safe again.

That was when I felt my handhold crumbling beneath my hand and, in my panic, I let go.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who has read, and especially to those who have reviewed. Thank you for telling me what you think. <strong>

**So. **

**Your thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5

My eyes widened as I stared at the rock wall, which seemed to tilt as I tottered. Desperately, I flung my arms up in a mad attempt at the cliff, but the movement lost me my footing. Time seemed to slow down as the cliff seemed to rush upward. Smaller rocks tumbled down from where I'd been clinging. One of them glinted, reflecting the setting sun back into my eyes, blinding me. _Perhaps it's for the best_, the calm, quiet corner of my brain thought, the part that was too distant from gravity to be terrified. _I won't have to see myself go splat._

Then, time seemed to be flying past me as something clamped around my wrists, jolting me to a stop. I turned my head upward automatically, but spots were still swirling across my vision. I opened my mouth to say something, though it's hard to say what, but instead let out a scream at the pain in my arms. Between the knapsack dragging at my shoulders and the force around my wrists pulling me upward, my arms felt ready to rip apart at the elbows.

_Wait… pull? _The detached part of my brain was suddenly working in overdrive. Pulling meant I wasn't falling meant I wasn't dead just yet- The train of thought was cut off as I swung into the side of the cliff. I gasped for air, winded, but thoughts followed thoughts at lightning speed. Pulling at wrists felt like hands meant person meant safety because why save me if I'm not safe?

I saw the wall swing towards me again and braced myself for the impact, but my head cleared the top of the cliff before I crashed into it. I saw a confusing blur of colors - blues, mostly - as I was dragged on my stomach up, over, and away from the edge. When the hands let me go, I rolled onto my side, gasping for air again, blood pounding in my head. From what I could see, I had been pulled up onto a small plateau, with Mount Moon looming up in the north.

"It's alright, he's safe!" I heard a voice shout as I wriggled out of my pack and sat up. I pulled off my jacket, wincing as it peeled away from my aching shoulders. Gingerly, I felt each one, wondering if I was bleeding. I wasn't, but they did hurt. My breathing rate had slowed to panting, but each breath hurt. A shadow loomed over me, and I twisted, looking up at my rescuer, a boy with dark hair, maybe my age. His eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, you're a girl, my mistake," he said, half-turning to the edge of the cliff, then looking back at me. "I told the nurse down there that I saved a guy, should I say you're a girl?"

I blinked. "Um, will it matter?"

"Well, it might? I dunno, it's possible."

"Uh, well then go for it, then," I said, coughing. He nodded, then walked carefully back to the edge. He looked down, then turned back to me.

"She's already back inside, should I…?"

I shrugged, then winced. "I kinda doubt it matters that much."

He nodded. "You're probably right. Um, are you okay, though?" He walked closer, looking concerned. "You did just fall off a cliff."

I thought about that. "I'm okay, I guess. My shoulders hurt, but I've got some salve in my kit."

"And your pokemon?"

I froze, mind racing. This boy could have been training for six years, if my guess about his age was correct. All the trainers I had met during the day had looked like they were somewhere between ten and fourteen. How would one my age react?

Suddenly, he was crouching next to me, face level with mine, eyebrows knitted with concern. "Hey, are you okay? If you're going into shock-"

I shook my head quickly."No, nothing like that, just… I don't have any." The last four words tumbled out in a rush as I watched his expression. He only stared, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. I sighed, relieved. "Yeah, I know. It's kind of a long story, all of this..." I trailed off, gesturing vaguely at myself.

He blinked, shook his head, then got to his feet. "You can tell it over dinner, if you want. It's getting late," he added, jerking his head back towards the cliff's edge, where the sun was sinking deep into the horizon. "C'mon, Marco'll help you with your bag." He flipped a lone pokeball off his belt with practiced ease, releasing a machop. He nodded at me. "She's alright, Marco, but please help her with that."

"Now, hey, wait, " I began, getting to my feet. "Really, I'm not crippled, I can-"

"You said your shoulders were bothering you, right? Best not to agitate that," the boy cut across my protests. "We're camped about ten minutes east, so it's not that far. Besides," he added, sweeping his arm eastward, "I'm trying to be chivalrous. Manners, and whatnot."

I rolled my eyes. "If this is about mistaking me for a boy, you don't have to do this." Even as I said it, though, I was thinking of how heavy my pack had been to begin with, and that was when I hadn't potentially messed up my shoulders.

The boy simply gestured to the machop, who had already hefted my pack. The short blue pokemon marched ahead, leading us to the camp. I sighed and bent to pick up my jacket. The boy got there first, handing it to me. He smiled, green eyes earnest. "This is yours, right? Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm Neil."

I accepted my jacket, bundling it into my arms. "Anna," I replied. Remembering my own manners, I added, "And, uh, thank you, really."

He shrugged. "Not a problem. I'm pretty supportive of people not dying." I laughed, more from the reminder of how close I had come to doing just that, then, turning, we followed Marco. The sky darkened as we headed east across the plateau. The campsite was a simple one, just a two-man tent and a fire that had burned down to embers. Neil unzipped the tent and pulled out a few pieces of wood. My eyes widened as I sat down across the fire from him. "Did you bring that all the way up here?"

Neil nodded as he coaxed the flames to rise up again. "We train up here a lot, so it's necessary. Actually, bringing the firewood up here was an exercise all on its own, right, Marco?" He smiled at his machop, who nodded in reply. "Now, let me see about dinner, and you can tell me why you were hanging off a cliff."

"I can help," I began, reaching for my pack. "I've got food-"

"That's all right," Neil interrupted, already turning back toward the tent. "We're planning on leaving tomorrow, so I was already planning on finishing up the perishables. You can share tomorrow, if you like."

I stared at him as he sat rummaging around in the tent. "I can still help cook," I pointed out.

Neil glanced back at me. "Nah, that's alright. For one thing, you're supposed to be putting salve on, remember? Plus, I like stories, and since you almost fell off a cliff, yours has got to be at least a little bit interesting."

I considered arguing, then sighed instead, reaching into my pack for the first aid kit. "Fine, fine. I should warn you, it's a long story."

Neil just grinned. "Those are usually the best ones."

* * *

><p>The ointment smelled foul, but I could already feel it starting to soothe the ache in my shoulders as I slathered it on. I wiped the excess off on my pants, hoping that it wasn't merely a placebo effect. Neil, meanwhile, had already lit a lantern and placed a small pot of water over the fire. Marco bustled in and out of the tent, bringing ingredients and cooking utensils over to his trainer. I watched as they set up a cutting board near the lantern. It seemed as good a time as any to begin my story.<p>

I opened my mouth, but immediately, my mind went blank; where was I even supposed to start? When I left? In the forest? Viridian Joy, why I didn't go on a journey, my birth, even? Was there any point that I could start this story without sounding like a complete idiot? I stared at the ground without seeing it, the darkness gnawing into my vision as I gazed unblinkingly downward. Dully, I wondered if I was blushing. I was uncomfortable enough, surely. I wondered if I could get away with brushing a hand across my face to check, then remembered that Neil was across the fire and felt even more self-conscious. Even his machop might have been watching me, which was unsettling. I resisted the urge to hide my face in my hands, clenching them into fists in my lap instead.

I wondered why I was suddenly locked into embarrassment, but almost immediately, the memory of the past fifteen minutes flickered behind my eyes. Worse, it was followed by memories of the morning, moments that already felt as if they had happened years ago. _You promise you'll be more careful?_ Joy had said. I had promised. I had meant it, even. That didn't mean I hadn't managed to nearly kill myself less than twelve hours later, though. Worse, even, was the idea that followed: _Maybe they're right._

I gulped, aware that my fingernails were now digging into my palms. I didn't want to think that, but every moment on my journey was thrust into my mind's eye, each one echoing that sentiment, that truth. I had only been gone for five days, but in that time I had already managed to get lost in a forest, be poisoned, and fail to pull off an incredibly stupid stunt. In the end, the whole thing could have easily been called a stupid stunt, and the only reason I wasn't at least seriously injured right now was due to luck, not skill on my part. I was an idiot, I thought to myself bitterly. Who did I think I was, trying this? Why had I even bothered, why had I-

A small _thud_ to my right derailed my train of thought. I glanced at my side and saw that my pack had tipped over. Scowling, I pulled it upright, wincing as the pain in my shoulder ratcheted up from the effort, but then I froze as my eyes were drawn to what the pack had fallen on: my leather jacket. Suddenly, all the reasons for why I had left burned brightly in my memory: hiking with Granddad, building fires with Granddad, whittling with Granddad, Granddad's smile, the way he would ruffle my hair, his handwriting, his message… I blinked, feeling a different kind of shame as one particular memory filled my mind.

* * *

><p>I was seven years old, and Granddad was showing me how to light a fire with flint and steel near the woods behind his house. He, of course, knew what he was doing, and I was amazed by the pretty shower of sparks that lit the tinder at once. When it was my turn, I seized the rock with my little fingers and enthusiastically struck the steel bar across it… except, rather than hitting the flint, I struck my own fingers. I cried and threw them down, and it took some cold water and coaxing before I would try again. I was scared, though, and kept hitting the flint too slowly, or at the wrong angle, or dropping it because I was afraid of hitting my fingers again. At last, I threw the flint and steel down again and glared at my grandfather.<p>

"I don't want to do this anymore!" I screamed, tears welling up in my eyes. "It's stupid, anyway, we've got matches!"

Granddad just gave me this long, hard look, one that I remember made me feel even smaller than a seven-year-old. "Is that what you really want?" he asked. "Do you want to just quit?"

I stared, confused, ashamed. "I - I don't -"

"Or is it just that you can't do it?" Granddad kept looking at me, and I started to sob. He sighed, and knelt down, pulling out a handkerchief and deftly rubbing my face clean. It was how he dealt with crying, my dad had said, though he would always then assert that he knew this from watching his younger brothers, since he would never, ever cry. It worked, at any rate; Mike and Chris and I would always calm right down whenever this happened.

Once my sobs had dissipated into occasional sniffs and the handkerchief had been stowed away, Granddad offered me the flint and steel once more. I hesitated, but there was a smile on his face that gave me a measure of confidence. I took them from his hands, gripped them firmly, and struck the bar against the stone. I wilted at the lack of sparks, feeling on the verge of tears again.

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Granddad said, still smiling. I nodded, feeling miserable. "But, Anna, that's how life is," he continued, and I stared at him, eyes wide. "Life is very difficult. You may know how to do something, but try as you might, sometimes it doesn't work out." He chuckled, confusing me. What was funny about failing? He must have seen my expression, because he knelt down next to me again, his eyes level with mine. "The important thing, Anna, is that you keep on trying, and that you should never be too proud to ask for help."

I started at this; I hadn't even thought to ask for another demonstration. He noticed and chuckled again, the sort of warm, old-man laughter that didn't seem insulting but instead made me want to laugh, too. "Just make sure that you never stop trying, even when it's hard, or when you're frustrated, because you'll never succeed otherwise."

Shyly, I offered him the flint and steel. "Could… could you show me again, Granddad?" He smiled, and it was the sort of smile that crinkles the whole face with its realness.

"Of course I can," he said, reaching over and mussing my hair. "Don't worry, Anna. You'll learn."

* * *

><p>As the memory receded back into my mind, I smiled. Granddad was right, of course. For one thing, I had managed to draw sparks out of the steel after only a few more tries. And, for another, I realized again how right he was, about everything. I relaxed my clenched fists, exhaling slowly. <em>Never be too proud to ask for help.<em> I looked across the fire to find Neil stirring the pot, eyes on his cooking. The idea that he might have been watching me flitted through my mind, but it didn't bother me the way it had a short while ago.

I cleared my throat, and he looked up. "Dinner's just about ready," he said, gesturing at the pot with his free hand. "It's just a simple stew, but it's pretty fresh. I like fresh food, so I don't usually stay too far from towns, y'see."

I nodded. "Sounds excellent to me." I paused, then added, "Do you still want me to tell you how I, um, got here?"

Neil nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! That is…" He trailed off, studying my face. "Is that all right, with you, I mean? You don't have to on my account."

I shook my head. "No, yeah, I want to."

He grinned. "Wonderful. Let me just serve this up. Um, do you have a mess kit and stuff? I could loan you part of mine, if you need it."

I raised my eyebrows at him, gesturing at the pack. "Sure I do, and I have food, if you need it."

He blinked, then laughed. "Heh, sorry, didn't mean to imply anything, just making sure."

I waved this off lazily as I dug out my dishes, impressed internally at how calm I had become. Neil poured a generous portion of steaming stew into my bowl before helping himself. It smelled wonderful after what had admittedly been a long day. I sat down, letting my stew cool off. I watched as Neil poured out a measure of pokemon food into a dish for Marco. The machop nodded and chirped some sort of thank-you, then carried it over toward the fire. To my surprise, he sat down near me, leaving enough space for Neil to sit between us a few moments later.

The boy turned to me, looking faintly concerned. "Is it any good?"

I smiled. "Haven't tried it yet, but it smells wonderful. It's probably cooled off now, so let me see…" With exaggerated carefulness, I raised a spoonful of broth to my lips and tilted it slowly. Swallowing, I licked my lips, making my expression as serious and thoughtful as possible. Neil waited patiently throughout these theatrics, but grinned at my verdict. "Smells don't lie!" I said cheerfully.

"Good," he said, and I was surprised to hear him almost sound relieved. I glanced at his face and saw amusement flickering along with the firelight in his eyes. We both chuckled, then set about eating. I had meant to tell my story in between bites, but I hadn't realized how hungry I was and instead had to make sure I didn't accidentally inhale my food. It really was delicious, in a way that the mass-produced Pokemon Center food hadn't been. It reminded me of the sort of food we would eat in the woods with Granddad, which, of course, made sense; these were, after all, the skills he had taught the three of us.

When my bowl only held a few traces of broth that couldn't be scraped up by my spoon, I cleared my throat. Neil looked up from his own bowl, alert and attentive. This sort of behavior would have made me nervous earlier, but now I was able to appreciate the fact that he would probably be a good audience. Marco too looked up from his empty bowl, whether because he had noticed me or because his master had reacted, I couldn't tell which.

I smiled, knowing exactly where to start. "I did say this is a bit of a long story, so I hope you're seated comfortably." Neil nodded, and the smile became a grin. "It actually all starts when I was young, like, six or seven, visiting my grandfather out in Lavender Town…"

Starting from there, I explained how Granddad had taught first me, then my brothers, all of the outdoor survival tricks that trainers had used when he was young, even though my parents had pointed out that newer technologies and changes to the landscape made some of the things a bit obsolete. I told Neil this both in an attempt to justify my later actions and because, in a way, it was really where the story started. Though he still kept a few pokemon, Granddad had never used them in the lessons he had taught us, instead stressing the importance of being able to fend for yourself. I followed this with a short explanation of how I chose not to go on my journey at age ten, using roughly the same reasoning as I had offered Joy back in Pewter. I found it was easier to look into the fire as I told this part of the story, but I couldn't help chancing a glance at my audience a couple times. Neil's face was difficult to read, in part because night had truly fallen at that point, but his general body language didn't seem to indicate anything negative.

Once that part was out of the way, the rest of my story flowed more easily, and I was able to look Neil in the face more as I spoke. I explained how my parents had assigned me the task of looking after my brothers and how Chris began to hero-worship Mike once he went on his journey, how Mike had perhaps benefitted from me not going. I told him how my grandfather's package took me by surprise, how I hadn't even realized that this sort of journey might have been possible, but how, at the same time, I didn't want to interfere with Chris's moment as he set out on his journey.

As I reached the part where my own journey started, I found myself adopting a practically comedic tone, describing my encounter with Viridian Joy as something nonsensical, rather than slightly terrifying. Noticing what I was doing, I tried not to accidentally gloss over my idiotic trip into Viridian Forest alone. I didn't want to exaggerate my competence or lack thereof; there was the beginnings of a plan starting to bubble in the back of my mind, and telling anything but the truth at this point would conflict with it. Neil's eyes widened as I detailed how I had blundered through the trees, but he still refrained from interrupting.

I told him how I had been found and what I had done while at the Pokemon Center. Neil looked slightly alarmed as I laughed about my impromptu haircut, but I couldn't help it. I still couldn't remember anything from when I had been in the forest to waking up in the sick room, and the detachment from that part of the story made it much easier to see the funny side of it. I hurried my way through the stay at the Pewter Center, bringing my story to its close this afternoon, with me facing the cliff, sizing up the ledges, under the impression that I could totally climb up to the plateau.

"So, uh, thank you," I finished. "I'm really, really lucky that you were there to catch me."

Neil shook his head. "It was nothing. I just heard screaming, which was, well, unusual. Not many people up here, so we ran over, and there you were. I guess you couldn't see us, but we almost had you right before that little nub of rock gave way."

"We?"

"Yeah, I had Marco hold onto my feet and pull us both up."

"Oh. That makes sense." I shifted, waiting for him to say more, something along the lines of how stupid I was. Instead, he leaned back, gazing up at the sky.

"It's remarkable, really." I looked at him, but he was still staring up into the darkness. I looked up into the sky and gasped. His head jerked towards me. "What?" he asked, alarmed.

I couldn't find words to explain it to him. The sky was positively alight with stars, in a way that I had never quite seen. I realized that I was farther from interfering sources of light than I had ever been at night, and the view before me almost defied description. The familiar constellations were in place, but there were so many more. The moon had been waning for the past few days, and was now totally in shadow, making the stars seem even brighter in its absence. A single cloud drifted low on the horizon, hardly marring the beautiful sight.

Beside me, Neil said, "Oh, right, yeah. I was actually talking about the…" He trailed off, but the sense of awe that had me spellbound lifted as I was brought back to earth by his words.

"Um, sorry," I murmured, feeling self-conscious.

Neil shrugged. "Nah, I remember feeling the same way. I guess I'm just used to it." He sat up, seeming purposeful all of a sudden. I sat up too, curious. He looked around the campsite, then at Marco, who, though curled up on his side, was watching his master attentively. He nodded to himself, then turned to me. "Well, it's late, and we should probably get some shut-eye."

"Um, sure," I replied, slightly confused by his abruptness. "I'll just roll out my bag here, and-"

"Actually," Neil interrupted, "I want you to take the tent. It might rain."

I stared at him. "The sky's totally clear."

"Winds move pretty fast out here," he pointed out. "Clouds roll in fast."

I shook my head. "I didn't see anything about that on the weather report today."

He scowled. "Um, well, just…" He ran his hand through his hair, leaving it asymmetrically ruffled. "I mean, it's not, um, well, not, just, it's manners, all right?" Neil looked extremely uncomfortable. "I mean, you're, you're a girl, and, just, it's better if you stay there, and -" He turned to look at me as the fire rose slightly, clearly showing his expression, how he was beseeching me to see sense.

I stared back at him. "Is this... that chivalry thing again?" I asked slowly, feeling somewhat ridiculous.

He flinched. "It's just polite," he muttered, looking down at his feet.

I sighed. "Um, I get what you mean, but, how about this?" My voice was unexpectedly firm, making my words less of a question. "I actually do want to sleep out here, so why don't you sleep in the tent? Like, if this is a privacy thing," I rushed on, suddenly getting a sense of his own discomfort, "then that takes care of it. Like, I can, um, let you know, in the morning, when it's, uh, safe to come out."

He looked doubtful. "Why do you want to sleep out here?"

I gestured at the sky. "I haven't slept outside in years. I've been stuck indoors for two nights longer than I meant to be. I was actually really looking forward to this. So, if you don't mind…" When he still seemed unsure, I tried a different tack. "Isn't there something chivalrous in respecting a lady's wishes, or something?"

Neil nodded slowly. "Yeah… well. If you're sure -"

"I am _certain_," I affirmed.

"Well, okay then. Marco and I will be over there, then. If, um, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be up for a while as it is."

I raised my eyebrows at this. "I thought you said we needed to sleep?"

He blinked. "Oh, well, I was planning to read for a while, is all."

"Oh, all right. Uh, enjoy that, then."

"Yup." With that, he collected up his food leavings and stood, moving towards his tent. Marco immediately leapt up and followed suit, grabbing the lantern. He paused for a moment, looking over the campsite, including me, then shrugged and entered the tent, zipping it up behind his pokemon.

I snorted softly, then reached over to my pack, loosening the straps on the bedroll. Neil's behavior made sense, but at the same time, it felt strange, antiquated. Well, maybe that was the wrong word. At least, Granddad would not have pitched such a fuss in this situation, of that I was certain. Still, I thought, as I pulled off my boots, there was an advantage to Neil's chivalry. My plan was blossoming now, and I crawled into my bedroll, deep in thought about how best to proceed from this point onward. It was clear to me what needed to be done; the question was how best to approach the issue. I stared up at the sky, soaking up the panorama as I tried to work it out in my head. Slowly, as the fire burnt lower and lower, my schemes shifted to dreams, and I slept under a blanket of starlight.

* * *

><p><strong>Your thoughts are always welcome here, my dear readers. Know that I appreciate them, and you.<br>**

**Until next time,  
><strong>

**Carp  
><strong>


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